The Ultimate Power Pack Adventures
by Revolutionary in the making
Summary: A collection of tales about Miles Morales and his new team of young superheroes in which they bond as friends and fight random super villains as well as meet other superheroes along the way. This takes place firmly in the Ultimate Universe.
1. Intro

Okay, hello fellow Marvelites. This is a new story about the recent addition to Ultimate Universe. As of this moment of this story's been published, this takes place after Ultimate Comics Spider-man #26. Honestly, this is a lot of speculation as 1.) as of this date that this story's been published, only #23 is out and 2.) Kate Bishop has only been in 16 panels in the comic's entire run so far. So I'm literally throwing dice against the wall here.

Here is what I'm hoping to do: I'm hoping to have characters that were not introduced in the Ultimate Universe yet and introduce them through here. You'll see that I've already hinted on whom is going to show up soon. I also want to have that super teen team dynamic that I feel that the cartoon is missing (I personally loathe the cartoon). No, this does not actually follow the literal Power Pack as you may know them in 616. According to the solicitations, Bendis has dubbed this new super hero team comprised of Miles Morales, Cloak, Dagger, Lana Baumgartner a.k.a. Bombshell, and (hopefully) Katie Bishop as the Power Pack for the Ultimate Universe. I don't know why he couldn't call them the Young Avengers or something like that, but whatever.

I don't want to hear any complaints about this being Miles Morales. I don't really care. I like the kid and feel that he is more than worthy of being a replacement for Peter Parker. I have all 160 issues of Ultimate Spider-man including the Death of Spider-man and 19(I don't have the Venom War arc yet, but have read them) of the 23 that is out now with Miles Morales in it. If you haven't accepted that Peter Parker is dead after nearly two years, then you are a lost cause and probably should not even bother reading this. Superior Spider-man, however, is another story all together as what Slott did was straight sloppy and belongs in the category of shock writing in which he is trying to incur more sales in spite of the story's logic. But that is another story and another complaint for another day. Enjot...hopefully.

* * *

**1:23 PM. Brooklyn Visions Academy.**

"No," Miles said with certainty in his voice.

"But it is easy," Kate sifted through her papers while maintaining a calm voice in spite of the denial. "All we have to do is scout him out and—"

"And," Miles cut off the girl while looking up from his lunch. "You want me to stalk this man because of one of your wild suspicions. "

Katie glowered at him, but kept her tone became dangerous low, "It is not a wild suspicion, Miles Morales. Geoffrey Wilder is a mob boss."

"And what proof do you have of this, Velma Dinkley?" Miles raised his hands, almost getting out of his seat. "A few court cases that you found on the internet does not amount to much and if you haven't noticed, he walked and was declared innocent in every single one of them."

"A few!" she became hysterical.

"Guys," Ganke interrupted them. "People are looking."

Miles and Katie looked around the courtyard and sure enough saw all eyes were on the belligerent couple. Kate looked down as if that was a way to turn invisible and Miles wished that it wouldn't be so suspicious if he were to all of the sudden use his power and physically disappeared. Miles just tucked his head into his hoodie and began to passively eat his lunch. After a minute of embarrassment, the courtyard finally turned their attention away from them. Kate, noticing that the coast was clear, scooted next to her boyfriend, whispered in his year while trying to show him a paper.

"Look, Miles. I know you aren't stupid. You don't go to trial this many times for these kinds of crimes and get off because missing evidence or witnesses," Kate clarified while handing him the papers. She was somewhat delighted to watch his eyes scan the page. "He may not be a mob boss, but he isn't just a common civilian."

Miles sighed in defeat and rolled his eyes, "Okay, he is bad news, but why can't the police handle it?"

Ganke interrupted, again, "We have a sneaking suspicion that the police may be involved. I mean this can't be a co—"

"Wait," Miles returned the favor. "You two have been working together on this?"

"It is not that big of a deal," the girl explained while shrugging her shoulders. "We just thought that we should take some initiative being a team and all."

"I mean it would be nice to have a plan every once in a while," Ganke made a motion with his hands. "So we can get the jump on the bad guys."

"And Miles," Katie placed a hand on Miles' shoulder. "We are a team now. Peter Parker died because he was trying to do it alone despite having friends capable of sharing the load. Let us help."

"Okay," Miles sucked on the straw of his juicebox. "So why do you need me again? He hasn't committed a crime yet."

Kate shuffled the papers in her bag and then placed a hand on her hip, "We don't know why he is here. Ever since the old Kingpin died, other criminals have been chomping at the bit to fill in the power vacuum."

"Like that Scorpion guy that you and your Uncle Aaron put down," Ganke interrupted.

Miles narrowed his eyes. Bringing up his crooked Uncle did nothing, but made his mood damper.

"New York is ripe for the taking," Kate continued getting more to the point. "We can't allow another force like this guy to ruin the delicate balance that we made."

"Why would anybody be the Kingpin in this city? The superhero community is too large and not like in California," Miles added in. "He'd be asking for trouble just to set up shop here."

"But he has to be here for something, Miles," Ganke added in. "Maria Hill gave Kate the information about his arrival and apparently she wants us to look in on it."

"I'm not Maria Hill's personal lap dog," Miles interjected. "I also don't like how she is going through Kate to get to me."

"You say that as if I need you to do this."

"She wouldn't have asked you to do this if me and you weren't together."

"Are you saying that I'm not capable?" the girl asked trying and failing to hide her contempt.

"Yo," Miles quickly realized that he fell into a trap. "I did not mean it like that."

"Except for the part that sounded exactly what you meant."

"How does that even make—"

"Look, Miles, I change my mind," Kate held her hand up and started to walk away. "I can deal with this myself."

Miles looked incredulous and went after her, "Katie, it is not safe. You could get hurt."

"And being under your protection just ensures my safety, huh?" She snapped back while turning to face him. "You don't respect me as a crime fighter."

"It is not like that," Miles looked down in the corner of his eyes trying to avert his gaze away from the furious woman. "You don't have powers, Kate. You could get hurt."

There was a long silence between the two. Kate held her glare for a while, but her features eventually softened as she took a deep breath. She placed a hand on Miles' cheek, "You being protective of me is sweet and I really appreciate it, but I am a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"Just bring one of the others with you if you insist on doing this without me," Miles scratched the back of his head feeling a bit awkward with his own suggestion.

Kate raised an eyebrow at his statement. She was hoping that it would be their first stake-out together. She did not want to include Bombshell, Cloak, and Dagger. She wanted it to be just the two of them, but insisting him to come makes it look like she can't fend for herself. 'Why did Miles have to take their argument there?' she thought to herself.

"Maybe you guys should all go," Ganke asked. Kate immediately glared daggers at him although both boys were not paying attention to her to notice. "I mean you guys should help each other out whenever possible being a superhero team and all."

"Um, wouldn't that be a little overbo—"

"That is a great idea, Ganke!"

Dammit, Ganke.

"I'll call the others and inform them of the situation," Ganke picked up his pack and walked towards the school.

The couple watched as their friend eventually left their sight. They glanced at each other and then quickly averted their eyes away. Ever since they found out about each other's secrets, there has been this rift growing between. To him, her being Hawkeye felt like an assault on any of his previous attempts to try to be normal again. To her, he being Spider-man felt like he was hiding something astounding about himself and him previously wanting to quit was like he was ashamed to be a hero.

"Kate, I'm—"

"It's not a—"

"But I don't know what to—"

"Nobody really does, Miles," Kate placed a finger on his lips so she can quiet him. "It's our life together, and we will find out together how to deal with this. Us."

"It just feels like some cruel joke," Miles hesitated and stammered. "I mean a few days before the whole mess me and Ganke was contemplating on telling you and it turns out that you were hiding a secret too."

"I was honestly going to tell you," Kate clutched her purse to her chest. "Sure, every attempt led to those angelic fluffy clouds that you call lips pressed against mine, but y' know? Baby steps."

Miles chuckled at the statement and Kate followed. Finally, a normal moment between the two happened. Miles held out his hand and Kate grasped it with her own. They walked side by side to their destinations smiling at the much needed solace of something remaining the same: They are still together.

"So," Miles smirked while licking his lips. "You hankering for a little taste of heaven?"

Kate rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling, "Down, boy. Wait until after the mission to swap spit, friendly neighborhood kissey face."

"Is this going to be a thing now?"

"Yep, call me your 'Lyristrata.'"

"My what now?" Miles' tone turned from playfulness to perplexity.

Kate rolled her eyes, "You seriously need to pay attention in English class."

* * *

I know, I know, I know. I played it safe. Review or favorite it or send me a dirty message with dirty pictures if you like.


	2. Exodus pt 1

Hey guys. Here is chapter 2 of this long going series. I promise that the chapters won't be long and will be short. Why I chose to do Miles Morales and Kate Bishop is simple. I notice that there is a fundamental lack of the character in fanworks. I especially found it odd that people liked placing him in the subordinate role instead of the main role. Even less, I've seen him being in a romance. Make no mistake, I'm a guy, but I found it odd that people didn't ship him. Hell, I was a Borderlands fan and I noticed that the fandom did not ship Roland and Lilith and even when the game confirmed that yes, they were in a relationship, people have yet to ship them. I've seen this with a lot of black main characters as they are hardly ever shipped.

Anyways, as you should know, I am working with limited knowledge of the characters. I know that it says Cloak and Dagger, but I can't really use them because I'm not sure how they are personality wise. So this chapter(and subsequent chapters until more knowledge is known) will be devoid of them. Kate Bishop also has this as well as the character's Ultimate version is completely different from her 616 version. For example, the editor for the Ultimate Universe explicitly said that Kate Bishop will not use bow and arrows(FUCK!). But I know that they wouldn't use a character like that unless she is involved in the action so I have to wait until more information is revealed for her as well. Luckily, I still have Lana.

Oh, guess who I'm revealing in this arc(yes, arc as in there will be many hopefully).

* * *

It was the twilight in which day was starting to become evening. On top of a New York City high rise rooftop, she kept periodically checking her Starkphone for the time as well as any incoming messages from her boyfriend. There was none. As a way to stifle the annoyance of her tardy partner, she kept herself busy by checking on the perpetrator, Geoffrey Wilder. So far, there wasn't any unusual activity. He just checked in his apartment 30 minutes ago and Kate had ample amount of time to set up. She watched as the tall, but scruff dark skinned man entered his new dwelling and immediately started checking out the apartment.

"He's late," the raven haired girl with pink locks traced in it mumbled as she peered into her binoculars directed at the Central Park Apartment window.

"So?" a girl next to her sat next to her and popped her gum. "What else is new, Kate? Spidey has never been known to show up on time. He is still a guy, remember?"

"Does not mean we should excuse him, Bombshell," Kate chillingly responded without removing her eyes from the binoculars. "The others called. He could at least call."

"He just got back into the super hero game, Kate," Bombshell smirked while shrugging her shoulders. "It will take time for him to get used to everything again. Plus, we did most of the legwork ourselves, super spy. Us girls don't need some dude in footy pajamas."

Kate nodded in agreement. Lana Baumgartner has been the most reliable person on the team. Lana has the power to explode tings at will. She unfortunately used her powers for criminal gain as she and her mother decided to rob jewelry stores and armored vehicles while calling themselves the Bombshells. After getting busted by the first Spider-man and Spider-woman, the court system found Lana to be a victim of poor parental influence and she was separated from her mother and became a normal teenaged girl until Peter died. She met Peter Parker after she transferred schools and at the time, she did not know that he was Spider-man. However, he knew of her criminal past and confronted her about it only to be reassured that she was reformed and she begged Peter to keep it a secret. Peter complied and they became friends. After his death, she tried to live by his example and help people with her power, but she couldn't activate them without being in the presence of her mother. Lana trained for a full year to fix this inhibitor and eventually she was able to use her power freely. Thus, Bombshell was reborn.

"I really appreciate you helping me out, Lana," Kate finally said.

"Don't mention it, girlfriend," Lana responded and patted her friend on the shoulder. "S$#%, I'm just happy I wasn't used to blow $$#% up. It's nice to be appreciated for something else."

Kate finally took her eyes away from Geoffrey Wilder and gave the girl a light hearted smile, "You are really. I was afraid everybody wasn't taking me seriously."

"Don't stress it. Girl code, remember?" Lana rolled her eyes and waved her hand. "Plus, I'm sure the dynamic duo would have showed if they could, but you know how they are."

Katie Bishop began packing her stuff, "No, I get them. They had other stuff to work out."

"Sure, they did," Lana said with an inflection.

"What are you thinking?"

"Oh come on, Kate. Isn't it obvious?"

"It's obvious that you are implying something, but what you mean is still a mystery."

Lana sighed in defeat with her seemingly oblivious friend, "Don't you think Cloak and Dagger are a little too close?"

"They are team. Doesn't mean they are dating."

"Bull*& #, they literally have to remain in contact with one another most of the time," Lana retorted and then squinted her eyes as if she were thinking. Then, she widened them. "You think they…make out while Cloak is using his cloak?"

Kate laughed at the thought, "Puts a whole new meaning to the phrase 'Cloak and Dagger.'"

"If I had a boyfriend and he had the ability to instantly transport us to another dimension alone with nobody else, I'd abuse the %#$& out it. I mean Cloak is an instant walking underneath the cover action."

Kate smirked at her comrade, "Do you think about this kind of stuff all the time?"

"And you don't? You can't tell me that you haven't thought the great potential of Spidey's powers," Lana elbowed the girl.

"Well, I always wanted to do an upside down kiss," Kate placed a finger on her lips while looking upwards as if she was deep in her thoughts. Then, she shook her head, "what are we doing? We are supposed to be doing a stake out. Not perverting superpowers!"

Lana laughed as Kate got up and headed to the entrance to the stairwell. Her cheeky friend followed. As they entered the building, Kate pulled out her notebook, the one she had been writing on during the investigation."

"So what do we got on this dude?" Lana asked while her friend peered through her notes."

"He is definitely up to something," Kate answered. "I mean he acted odd the moment her entered the room."

"No #$%," Lana said aside. "Dude's don't be acting that paranoid unless they are up to something. I mean who immediately scans the room for bugs before they even unpack?"

"And thanks to some help from the cutest walking explosion ever," Kate said coyly while Lana stuck her tongue at her. "The bugs we managed to place in his apartment went unnoticed."

"What did they pick up?" Lana asked while Kate kept sifting through her notes.

"Well, after he scanned his apartment, he made a few phone calls on his cell," Kate responded. "He is meeting with some people at some Bistro down in Queens at 10."

"So you are going to keep doing this superspy thing?"

"Tailing him would be dangerous if that is what you mean," Kate responded. "Luckily for us, I have a friend who works at the place and she doesn't mind me taking her place."

"Clever girl," Lana playfully punched the girl's arm which elicited a smile from the girl. "Anything else?"

Kate rubbed her arm, "He kept mentioning something about 'The Pride' and 'Project Exodus.' He also kept wondering about the whereabouts of some kids in New York."

"Kids?" Lana raised an eyebrow. "What about kids?"

"That wasn't the peculiar part," Kate clarified. "It is well documented that his son ran away from California so I think he was referring to him. The odd part was how he knows that he is here instead of the California. From what I can tell, no progress was made about the case. It's like they are trying to keep the information under wraps."

"And why 'kids' instead of 'kid?'" Lana pondered aloud while the two made their way down the stairwell. "He couldn't be referring to us, right?"

Katie shrugged her shoulders and refocused her amber eyes back to her notebook, "We shouldn't take anything off the table. I'm more interested in 'The Pride' and 'Project Exodus.'"

"Yeah, that just sounds super-villainy," the brunette made a face as if she eaten something bitter.

"The way that he was referring to those two was off. Like, he was talking about the Pride like it was a thing or something. Like an organization or business. But there is nothing in his background about the Pride. It's weird."

"Maybe he was using those words to throw someone off?" Lana posited while opening a door that led to the hallway. "I mean we saw how paranoid he was. It wouldn't be a surprise for him to use phrases to throw people who may be listening in off."

"Cloak and dagger phrases?" Kate smiled while stepping into the corridor. "That is possible, I guess. I'll know for sure—"

A sudden buzz came from her pack. Kate pulled out her phone and her mood suddenly turned sour.

"Spider-man?" Lana rolled her eyes.

Kate nodded and started texting on her phone, "Late as ever. Lana, I can handle this by myself from now on. You get in uniform and start doing your superhero thing with the webhead."

"About time. As fun as this was, I was feeling naked in my civvies and not the fun kind," Lana stretched her arms before heading into a separate direction. "So any messages for the webslinger?"

* * *

"So she's mad at me?" Miles stated into the cellphone while swinging dozens of feet in the air.

"I didn't say that," Lori, now in her Bombshell costume, hustling to keep up with the webslinger via rooftop hopping. "Could you slow down? We all don't have Spider powers."

"How is she mad at me?" Miles ignored her requests. "I mean I know that I was late, but I couldn't just sneak out of school like she does and my R.A. took my phone. Seriously…"

"Hey, lover boy," Lana called out while running towards the edge of the building. "Main street!"

Bombshell leaped towards the edge of the building and nothing was in jumping distance near her. The only thing below her was a cadre of cars, street pavement, and pedestrians. She could feel or hear nothing, but her heartbeat as she reached the point of her jump where she was no longer ascending, but not yet descending. Her heart raced as she started to fall down to the road below. Spider-man, noticing her daring act, immediately dived towards her direction. He reached out to her and grabbed her foot in midair. He aimed his webshooter towards a crane. He shot and hit his target then used his falling momentum to get more swing. He grabbed Lana by her foot while still in mid-fall and continued swinging with one occupied just as he did before. Lana started to get nervous as she was now swinging with Spider-man upside down with all of New York watching her. Miles quickly tossed the girl up with one arm and caught her with his other. This time Lana was right-side up, holding on to masked vigilante.

"Cutting it %$#& *' close there, Spidey," Lana said during her gasps.

"No complaints," Miles said with dryly. "You should have just let me carry you from the beginning."

"Hey, I was doing just fine and I don't need you to carry me around."

"So what is Kate doing again?"

"She is doing her part in the investigation that you did not help her with," Lana answered with a knowing smile on her face. "She is a big girl, Miles. She can handle herself."

"Yeah, no. She shouldn't be putting herself in danger like that."

Lana pinched his cheek, "Aww, Spidey is worried about his girlfriend. How cute?"

"Stop it," Miles pulled his cheek away from the girl. "She can get hurt."

"Wow," Lana blinked and shook her head. "Didn't think that you would be the worry wart between you two."

"I am not—"

A large blast and fumes of smoke covered the street. Spider-man immediately raced towards the disaster. As the smoke cleared, two men were facing off against two teen-aged girls. The men were gruff identical twins and were wearing matching uniforms in design, but the clothes had different colors for each. One was branded red and the other was branded blue. The girls, however, were more colorful and elaborate. One girl was of Asian descent and was somewhat a fashionista. She wore a black t-shirt with the words 'Hot Witch' branded on it and a halter dress. She had black net Gothic gloves and pig tails with black ribbons. In accordance to her attire, she was holding a staff with a weird ornament on top of it. The other girl was virtually her polar opposite. She had long blonde flowing hair and blue eyes. She wore a pink shirt and had rainbow arm sleeves. She wore blue jean pants with one leg ripped at the knee.

* * *

If you haven't a clue who they are, it is Nico Minoru from the Runaways and Karolina Dean from the Runaways. Well, Ultimate Nico Minoru and Karolina Dean.

Please review and subscribe.


	3. Exodus pt 2

Hey, guys. I know I'm not a week later, but I had good reasons for the delay. I figured that since I want Cloak and Dagger in this and my only problem is that I don't know anything about them as a duo, I'd just wait until the next issue comes out and buy that online. I'm pretty sure they'll have some characterization as they are on the freaking cover. That way, this won't be too female oriented with the inclusion of Cloak. And I want to have them in this story as this is called the Ultimate Power Pack Adventures. So in respect to you guys waiting for me, I made this chapter a little longer.

Speaking of teenaged teams, I have to go back on my word, MeleeSmasher about the Runaways about them being an one arc type of deal. Instead they will be a semi-regular thing like Kitty Pryde and Johnny Storm. As a comic book reader of other franchises, a few days ago, Nico Minoru was fridged(look up the term). This pretty much means the end of the Runaways and the way she was killed was stupid and didn't respect the character at all. I admit that I'm not the most knowledgeable of the Runaways and this is based on the Ultimate Universe so I can have liberties with characters that I introduce(Although there is already an Ultimate Runaways team, they are just so obscure and are comprised of future X-Men). The only thing that will be mainly different about this Runaways team from 616 is the Yorke's time traveling and the Pride's main intention. In my eyes, they don't really fit in the Ultimate Universe, but the spirit of their characters are mostly the same. If any Runaways fans have any suggestions about their character, send me a PM as I'm not the hugest fan of theirs for out of character moments(I kind of just wanted them because they were a teenaged team just like this Power Pack).

Also, if you haven't noticed, I edited the previous chapters to make the story more coherent.

* * *

**4:57 PM. Times Square**

In amidst of a crowd, two girls stood within the bust street. All they could see were people and all they could hear were the sound of cars honking their horns and whizzing by. The smell of car exhaust filled the air. One girl was visibly in awe with her surroundings as she was gaping at the buildings and the fashion displays in the windows. The other was more reserved.

"I can't believe we are in New York," the blonde almost squealed in glee and glazed around her surroundings. "Nico, this is like the fashion capital of the world. We are talking famous designers like Albino, Alexander Wang, and your favorite, Calla Sebaus.

"Calla does vamp and corsets, Karol. It's completely different from Lolita fashion," the Japanese girl looked nowhere near as excited as her companion. "Not my type of thing."

"Well, I figured because she does Goth and you do Goth and…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we should be careful. Alex told us that we should be careful," Nico warned while keeping her eyes on the crowd.

Karolina took her friend's arm and pulled it close to her, "You worry too much. I'd thought you would be happy to be here. I remember when we were kids you were into the fashion scene like no other."

"That was before we found out our parents turning out to be evil people," Nico averted her eyes away from her friend and looked to the ground. "Look, things change, Kay. We all had to let go of our dreams."

"Oh come on, Nico," Karolina crossed her arms. "This is New York. Not only is it the fashion capital of the world, but it is the home of the Triskelion. SHIELD headquarters and pretty much a haven for the greatest superheroes on Earth. As long as we are here, our parents wouldn't dare."

"I don't know—"

"Stop being a wuss, Nico," Karolina pulled the unwilling girl into a nearby store from the festering horde that was the New York City denizens of the street. "Help me get something in this boutique and live a little why don't you?"

The Japanese girl tried to resist, but it was to no avail as she was already half way through the entrance of the store. Inside, she saw mannequins wearing the latest designer clothes and racks of different fabrics and attire lined up as far as the eye can see.

"We are supposed to be shopping for food, Karolina. The guys won't be too happy if we spent money on stuff like…is that a classical burlesque black beaded choker?" Nico immediately forgot what she was about to say and drew herself to the accessory like a magnet.

"See, Nico," the blonde tilted her head with a smile. "I knew coming in here was a good idea."

"I don't know if buying things like this is a good idea…"

"Just one itsy bitsy thing won't hurt," Karolina put a mock puppy dog eyes on just to appeal to the goth girl's sympathies. "I mean it is not like we are getting expensive stuff…or too expensive stuff."

Nico never took her eyes off the coveted necklace and sighed in defeat, "Fine, but only a few things. And make sure it is not expensive and stuff."

Karolina clasped her hands together and went on her way. Nico watched her and shook her head. She then began to avert her attention back to the necklace. Satisfied with the selection, she took the necklace and waked throughout the store in search of more clothes and accessories. As she was browsing, she heard the jingle of the door sound. She peaked and saw two boys enter the clothes store. This wouldn't have been odd if this wasn't a store that specializes in women's clothing. One boy had long brown hair that touched his shoulders. He was wearing an unusual get up as he wore a trench coat during the summer season. What was odder was that he was wearing oddly colored red boots that seemed to be on the outside of his blue skin tight pants. His partner was even odder as he was covered from head to toe with the only thing being visible were his goggles. Nico immediately suspected something was odd and ducked in a clothing rack circle.

"How may I help you gentlemen," the store clerk asked with a hint of uneasiness.

"Where are they?" The fully clothed one asked with gruffness in his tone.

"I don't know who you mea—"

The cloaked man grabbed the clerk's shirt collar with one hand and jerked him over the desk. When the store clerk tried to scurry away, a burst of fire suddenly appeared in front of him. The frightened salesmen turned around and saw that the man was somehow manipulating fire with his hands. The attacker threw off his trench coat and underneath was orange tights. He was a mutant.

"Maybe you don't know who I am so I'll introduce myself," the man ignited his other hand as watched as the potential victim tried to squirm away from the heat. "I'm Pyro. Y' know? Of the now dead Brotherhood of Mutants. You do not want to *^&% with me."

"Dude," the other guy grabbed his shoulder. "What are you doing? You'll set the whole place on fire."

"I've been chasing around these brats for over a year," the mutant erupted. "I will not be dicked around by some human!"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," the man pleaded. "I only took this job because my girlfriend wanted a discount on these clothes. Please don't kill me!"

"WHERE ARE THE GIRLS!?"

"I don't know who you mean, I swear. I was listening to my Iphone before you came in. I wasn't paying attention!"

"Dude, chill out," the other guy insisted. "The kids are here. You are causing a scene."

Pyro clenched his fists and then put out his flames subconsciously, "Go and if you call the police, I swear I'll immolate you and your girlfriend."

With the warning, the man scurried out of the building visibly weeping. Nico observed the entire scene and began to crawl in between clothing racks. 'Where is Karolina?' she thought. 'She had to hear all of that.' She could hear the mutants still talking, but she was too scared to make out what they were saying. She was looking for her friend and a way out, and saw nothing but a doorway that led to the back of the boutique.

"Nico," she heard a feint whisper and the Japanese girl turned around and saw her blonde haired friend peeking out of an aisle. Karolina motioned for Nico to come towards her. Nico turned towards the exit and tried to communicate non-verbally that they needed to make a break for the exit. Karolina did not understand and insisted that Nico come her way and Nico did the same.

"So," they heard a voice interrupt their non-verbal argument. "I hope I'm not interrupting something."

They turned to their eavesdropper and it was the man with the long brown hair. He slowly took off his coat and revealed that he was wearing a similar uniform to his partner. Nico and Karolina got out of their hiding spots and faced him. He smirked out the two girls and opened his arms.

"Look, ladies," He grinned trying to be as cordial as possible. "We have been through a lot looking for you kids and I know running away looks and sounds good right at this moment."

He clenched his fists tightly, punched the tile floor, and suddenly a slab of Earth appeared from the ground and blocked the exit that Nico was hoping to escape from.

The man looked up and gave the frightened women a sinister smirk, "But I advise against it."

"You finally found those brats," the other man walked from behind the Earth mover. "Avalanche, we get to go home. These filthy humans are starting to annoy me."

The girls did not say a word. Nico reached from behind her dress while the mutants gloated about their imminent success. She pulled out a blade, but kept it hidden from their eyes. However, her movement did not go unnoticed.

"What do you have behind your back, girl? Pyro demanded while getting into stance.

Nico pulled the weapon out as if she were trying to use it. The mutants, however, were hardly impressed.

"Really? A knife?" Avalanche could not help, but smile. "What are you planning to do with that?"

"It's not for you," Nico said as she slashed her forearm with the blade. Suddenly, she stuck out her chest as if some invisible force was pulling her towards it. She began to chant words while an object emerged from her chest.

"When blood is shed, let the Staff of One emerge."

A staff that was approximately four feet in length and gold of color magically appeared from the girl's chest cavity. Nico quickly grabbed the scepter as her would be captors watched in awe.

"Baby Go Boom," she yelled at the top of her lungs. The staff's golden ornament which was a circle glowed purple. All of the sudden a mega-explosion blew the combatants away. Nico and Karolina watched as the entire boutique went into ruin as the only thing that resembled clean in the area was the side Nico and Karolina were on.

"Let's get out of here, Nico," Karolina made a dash to the now ruined front of the store. Nico followed. But there escape was foiled as large pillars of Earth blocked their attempt. The Japanese Goth, however, would not be denied.

She held out her magical staff and closed her eyes, "Did the Earth just shake or was it just me?"

The staff glowed again as suddenly the obstacles before the girl's crumbled. Nico grabbed Karolina's hand and started to make a dash towards the exit. Before they knew it, the ground started to shake and dust suddenly began to clear.

"Where do you think you brats' going?" Pyro ignited a fire in both of his palms.

"In that outfit," an anonymous voice answered as a strange white fluid put out the flame in Pyro's left hand. "I imagine the fashion police."

A figure wearing a black costume with a red webs covering his chest, head, and arms with a red spider in the middle of his chest and on his back flew down from the sky. His mask had white eye pieces that reflected that made it impossible to look inside them. The mysterious figure landed a kick on Pyro in which he sent him flying across the street. Avalanche quickly reacted and touched ground summoning pillars right underneath the attacker. His attempt was futile as the man skillfully avoided the rising patches of Earth like an acrobat and landed on a nearby streetlight.

Avalanche narrowed his eyes to make out the man and then his eyes widened upon realization, "Holy crap! It's Spider-man!"

"Where?" Spider-man placed a hand above his prominent eye pieces and looked around like he was trying to find something. I get really nervous around celebrities."

"Impossible," Pyro slowly recovered from the unexpected kick and gathered himself off the ground. "I heard Spider-man died."

"News of my imminent demise was greatly exaggerated," the man leaped into the air performing yet another acrobatic feat after Avalanche launched another pillar from the ground at the web slinger. Pyro launched fire blast after blast only for them to be effortlessly evaded. After a series of feats, Spider-man landed on the side of the wall. "Y' know I'm Spider-man, right? 'Not stand there and get roasted like a punk'-man."

"Shut up!" Pyro screamed at the top of his lungs. "Why don't you come down here and fight me like a man?"

"Why don't you come up here and fight like a Spider?"

Pyro, infuriated by the vigilante's taunts, launched another fury of attacks only to be easily dodged again. Avalanche observed and tried to time his pillars, but the hero was just too evasive.

"Hold still," Avalanche grunted and tried to concentrate. Spider-man eventually got in close to Pyro and the maniac tried to scurry him away with another heat blast. His attack was parried away with a block that knocked Pyro's hand away and his attack ran errant in the air. Before the mutant could blink, the costumed hero jammed two fingers into the fire mutant's chin. Shocked by the odd gesture, Pyro grabbed his chin and backed away from the attack.

"What did you do to…..ARRRGH," he screamed as a large of jolt of electricity consumed from within his body. Avalanche saw his opportunity and pounded his hands into the hot cement. The whole street began to shake and tremble and Spider-man, along with a bunch of surrounding citizens lost their balance. Nico and Karolina tried to hold onto each other for support, but they tumbled to the ground. Suddenly a pink blur launched from the air with their hands above them.

"Kamikaze!" the figure screamed as they formed large golden rings around their fist. Suddenly a large wave of destruction encompassed Avalanche and a large explosion occurred. Smoke consumed the entire surrounding area as everyone tried to shield their eyes. The mini-earthquake stopped with the sudden collision and everyone started to gain their bearings. When the dust cleared, Avalanche was knocked out lying in the middle of the street with the figure standing above him. The figure was a girl with long flowing brown hair and was wearing a domino mask over her eyes. She wore a pink and black one piece outfit with a white overcoat over it.

"Took you long enough, Bombshell," Spider-man called out to the new entrant to the battle.

"I gotta pick my spots," Bombshell shrugged and then pointed at the attacking mutants. "Hey, why don't you make yourself useful and web these guys up for the police?"

Spidey shrugged and proceeded to do just that, "You go check to see if those girls are cool, Miss. I'm just going to blow up the whole street in pink." Nico and Karolina just watched as the masked girl approached them.

"Ladies," she called out to them. "I don't know what happened here, but an explanation would be nice."

Karolina was about to answer her, but Nico stepped forward, "What makes you think we were involved in this?"

The girl cocked an eyebrow and then pointed in front of the now destroyed boutique, "The position of the glass shows that the initial blast came from inside the store. Hothead and Mr. Shake over there, due to their torn clothes prior to the whole fight and general position of the blast, were clearly blasted out of the store first so they clearly ain't the cause of it. The only two people who somehow walked out of it unscathed and came out of that store after the explosion were you two."

Karolina and Nico became silent. Bombshell grew a little impatient and placed a hand on her hip awaiting an answer. Spider-man hung Avalanche by his hand with his webs on a streetlight and then made his way to Pyro. The crowd watched the masked superheroes and the two innocuous girls with curious eyes seemingly gawking at the aftermath of the battle.

"Look," the masked woman finally said. "You gonna either answer to me or SHIELD and trust me, they are not something you want to %$%^ with."

Nico clenched her staff, "We don't have to answer to you. Even with the domino mask, we can tell that you're just a kid like us."

"Okay, chick that got her outfit straight from Hot Topic," Bombshell gritted her teeth. "I'm trying to give you an out here. Why are you getting' defensive unless we were mistaken and you two &*%$# were the ones who started the fight?"

"Okay, okay, okay," Spider-man called out while walking over the girls. "Let's not blow each other up before we get the chance to know what is going on."

"We were just shopping until—" Karolina started to talk until a giant shadow lord over her and the entire group. The group looked up and saw a flying machine loom over them in the skies. It was a flying aircraft carrier with a giant logo of an eagle with a circle around it. A bunch of smaller shuttles then launched from the aircraft carrier and started to descend to the ground.

"Looks like SHIELD's here," Spider-man placed his hand on Bombshell signaling that it was time for them to leave. "Maybe we should go?"

Karolina freaked out and grabbed Nico by the shoulders. Tears welled up in her eyes and she was visibly shaking, "Nico, I can't get captured by SHIELD. If they find out…"

The two masked superheroes were confused by her actions and the dangling sentence.

"If they find out what exactly?" Bombshell inquired hoping to get her curiosity sated, but then she was ignored.

The Goth girl just nodded and then proceeded to hold out her staff in front of her with two hands.

"What are you doing?" The webhead tilted his head.

She then closed her eyes and began to chant, "There is no place like home."

Surprisingly to both Spider-man and Bombshell, the ornament of her staff lit up with a purple aura that grew from the just large enough to surround the staff to the size of a large radius that encompassed the four of them.

"What are you doing?" The two heroes shrieked as all four just simply vanished from the street in a flash while SHIELD agents descended from the hovering aircraft.

* * *

**6:37 PM. Gage's and Vaughn's Italian Pasta**

The plan was simple. Be his waitress, see who Wilder is meeting, eavesdrop when able, and before he leaves, place a tracker in his car so she knows where he goes. Katie had everything set. She fastened the buttons on her uniform. When the final button of the working uniform was done, Kate murmured to herself, "You are the best, Carlie."

Carlie Cooper was a good friend of hers. Katie simply asked if she could take her place at the restaurant where she worked when the Wilder's attendance to the place became known to her. Carlie, already frustrated with her job, agreed and did her best to fake being sick so she can have "precious valuable time with her honey bunches" as she so aptly put it.

Kate grabbed her notepad and then proceeded to play the part of a dutiful waitress. She looked around and the place was already packed, but she saw no sign of Wilder. He specifically mentioned that he was going to be there around sevem. Katie Bishop looked on her phone and the time read in digital letters 6:40 P.M. It is most likely that he hasn't arrived yet.

"Yo, new girl," she heard a voice call out. Skate turned around and saw a tall gruff middle aged old man with a beard. It was the Bistro's manager. Kate, then looked around and wondered if he were talking to her so she pointed to herself. "Yeah, you. Who else is new around here? Look, Girly, Carlie called in sick and gave me her word that you know what you were doing. Your performance today reflects not just on you, but her as well."

Kate blinked and then nodded in agreement, "I know Mr. Gage. I assure you that I won't let you or Carlie down. She goes to my school and we used to be roommates and she needs this job to help pay tuition."

"Yes, you little geniuses and your genius school. She said somethin' about you havin' photographic memory," he offhandedly mentioning while glancing at something that caught his attention. Kate hid her notepad behind her squeamishly and kept her attention away. "And that is the only reason your little touché is wearing that uniform for her instead of Ms. Cooper's and this will not be acceptable from now on, ya hear?"

"I understand, Mr. Gage," Kate flipped her pink lock next to her ear and proceeded to walk to the podium near the entrance of the establishment. She saw a tall and burly, blonde haired boy with a hard jaw standing over it. The stranger looked like something you see straight out of an entertainment magazine about teenaged girl heartthrobs. He seemed bored as he had part of his face in his palm and his elbow on the podium supporting his slouch. His uniform was disheveled as one side of his buttoned up shirt was un-tucked and his entire attire looked wrinkled. Kate peered from behind him just enough still not grab his attention and looked at his name tag and it read 'Chase Stein.' She thought it was an interesting name.

"Hi," Kate put on a cheerful smile and meekly waved her hand to get his attention.

The boy glanced at her for a second, and then stood up as if something pinched him on the backside. He quickly got himself more straightened up, placed a hand on the window, and lent against it. He put up a smoldering grin or what he thought was smoldering and tried to act as suave as possible.

"Sup?" he grinned showing off a little of his pearly whites. 'Great,' Katie thought to herself. Now she has to deal with this boy hitting on her through the night. Of course, this had its advantages. Teenaged boys are the easiest to manipulate. Just act interested and affirm his not-so subtle masculinity and he will write you a symphony and make him feel like the sexiest man alive. She did not have time to verbally spar with him so she just had to play up stereotypes as the cute unassuming girl.

Of course, this would have made her night easier. Kate, however, was not about holding up some jerk's ego by demeaning herself.

"I'm taken and my boyfriend can tie jerks like you in knots, but I don't need him to deal with you. If you don't cut the dirty old man routine, Blondey, I'll knock you flat on your $# in front of all these people," Kate glowered at him.

Chase had a dumbfounded look on his face as his male ego was crumbling. Mr. Gage, who just happened to hear the whole thing, suitably chuckled to himself.

"Yo, what's with the burn?" The boy asked obviously offended.

"I'm not about being disrespected and hit on by a fellow employee when I'm being professional. So cut the patriarchal bull and help me do my job."

The kid rolled his eyes and smirked, "You remind me of a girl I know."

"Then she sounds like an intelligent and respectable woman," Kate crossed her arms still somewhat upset.

The boy smiled and then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I'll tell her you said that. So my name is Chase. You are…?"

"Kate," the girl responded and a still flat tone. "I'm Carlie's replacement for the day."

"Nice to meet you, Kate," he held out his hand hoping for a handshake. Kate looked at his hand, and thought about whether she should shake his hand or not. He seems apologetic about his behavior so she could be civil with him at least. Kate reciprocated and shook his hand. Chase smiled and nervously chuckled. "So me and my friends only been in New York for like a month and we are still getting used to stuff here in the NYC."

"Yeah, I can tell you aren't from around here," Kate acted courteously. She gazed towards the window and then saw Wilder approaching the entrance. Without missing a beat, she changed the subject. "So Chase, I need a favor."

He raised an eyebrow and smirked, "So you tell me off and then you ask me for a favor?"

Kate immediately grimaced at his inquiry and then continued, "It is this guy that I'm sort of following…"

"Boyfriend may be eating dinner with another girl and you want to get the drop on him?"

"No," Katie widened her eyes. "Does that happen here a lot?"

"You'd be surprised…"

"Well no, see this guy named Geoffrey Wilder just came in town, and –"

He interrupted her sentence, "Wait, did you just say Geoffrey Wilder?"

Kate then raised her eyebrow and gave him a pointed look, "Yeah, do you know him?"

He quickly made his way from the entrance as if it were on fire, "You mind taking my place for a while? I have to drain the champion. I'll be right back."

"Ew," Kate gave him a look of disgust and tried stopping him from leaving, but he was already too far gone. "Well, that was weird."

Kate recomposed herself and tried to re-formulate a different plan of action as she could no longer wait tables as long as Chase was in the restroom. Wilder entered the restaurant alone and gave a pointed stare at Kate. He was a bald headed black man who was built like brick house. He had the appearance of a business man just as his profile indicated with a nice buttoned up shirt and black slacks. He had a coat jacket wrapped around his arm. He was a large and intimidating man even more so in person, and he was looking directly at Kate.

"I have reservations," he finally said in a baritone that almost caught Kate off guard. With Chase absent and her being the only person around the podium, she scurried to the podium and opened the reservation book.

"And you are?" she obfuscated in order to maintain her cover.

"Geoffrey Wilder."

Kate scanned the page and saw his name in the middle of the list. Kate then saw that he made a reservation for two and then glanced back at Wilder looking for the second party. There was no one. Cooley, she held out her hand and looked at him, "I need identification to confirm."

The man reached in his coat jacket pocket and pulled out his wallet. He then handed it to Kate and she saw his I.D. card. She nodded her head and then handed the wallet back to him. She then took two menus from the podium and then began to lead him to his seat.

"We have a table already set for you, Mr. Wilder," Kate gestured to him to follow her. "Right this way."

The girl walked in between tables and waiters with the burly man on her trail. As they weaved through the conundrum expected in a restaurant, Kate decided that this would be an excellent time for small talk.

"I saw that the reservation was for two," the girl with pink mixed with her dark hair asked. "Are we expecting someone else, Mr. Wilder?"

"You can say that," he wryly stated with a smirk.

She expected that type of answer, but she knew that prying would make him suspicious. They finally reached the table which was a booth for two in the back away from the crowd of people.

"Here we are, Mr. Wilder," Kate curtsied and held out her hand as if to guide him to his seat.

"Thank you, young lady, now if you don't mind," he gave a wicked smirk. "Why don't you take your seat as well?"

Confused by his request, Kate did her best to compose herself, "Excuse me…"

"Don't play dumb, girl. You spent most of your day getting to know me, and now I just want to return the favor. I insist. Please sit."

She didn't have a choice. She was found out. Kate reluctantly took her seat in the booth and without intention, she handed the surreptitious man a menu. She was busted.

* * *

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